Flickering candles. Tiny twinkling lights. The fragrance of fresh-cut pine. A crackling fire in the fireplace. Our senses are alive with the aromas of the holiday season. Most likely you will begin your Christmas decorating soon. We are looking forward to this time of family and friends too, but we also want you to be safe and avoid a fire-related tragedy during this festive time.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has some excellent holiday safety tips we’d like to pass along.
- Holiday decorations should be flame retardant and non-flammable. That means modern that meets current safety standards. Holiday decoration fires are most likely to happen in the living room, family room or den because they are placed too close to a heat source.
- Light your way. Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords. LED lights. While they are an up-front investment they are cooler and a long-term investment. We were rummaging in the basement for our lights and found an antique string of bubble lights. Remember them? As much as we’d like to recreate our childhood memories for our children, the bubble lights will stay in the box.
- The Christmas tree is always the centerpiece. Select a tree that has a sticky trunk, green needles and branches that are hard to pull back. Ask for a fresh cut and when you bring the tree home, immerse it in water immediately. It will be very thirsty and needs continual watering throughout the holiday season. Keep your tree at least three feet away from heat sources.
- Ahh, the glow of candlelight. So romantic and cozy. However, according to the NFPA, unattended candles cause more than half of home fires during the holiday season. Place lit candles on stable surfaces, away from flammables, children and pets. Don’t leave your candles unattended, even if you place candles in the fireplace instead of firewood. Extinguish ALL candles before you turn in for the night.
- Fireplaces are the center piece of a room. They are also a potential fire hazard. We recommend hiring a chimney sweep to check it out every autumn. Clean chimneys don’t start fires. Use only seasoned wood; don’t burn wrapping paper, cardboard boxes or pine branches. The Chimney Safety Institute of America also cautions that, while a chimney helps your home to breathe, it requires special care and maintenance to avoid carbon monoxide fumes and fires behind the lining.
This holiday season is also a great time to check your smoke alarms and review your home escape plan in case of an emergency. With a few precautions, we’ll all have a safe and happy holiday.
